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Treatment Information

The goal of treatment

In this section, you can learn about the following topics:

The goal of chronic hepatitis C treatment is to reduce the amount of virus in the blood and to slow the progression of the disease to prevent cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and other complications.

All the currently available therapies for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C are based on the activity of a group of biological agents called alpha interferons.

What Are Alpha Interferons? Alpha interferons are proteins produced by the human immune system in response to an attack by a virus. Interferons do not attack virus particles directly. Instead, they cause the release of specific chemicals by other healthy cells to protect those cells from attack. Alpha interferons can also be modified through a process called pegylation to make them stay in the body for a longer time.

Alpha Interferon Treatment Is the Most Current Treatment Available. In 2002, the National Institutes of Health held a conference in which they discussed and updated the current state of knowledge about hepatitis C. At present, the approach recommended in the National Institutes of Health consensus conference statement for patients newly diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C is to use pegylated alpha interferons in combination with the antiviral drug ribavirin.1

Combination Therapy May Be for You. Combination therapy with alpha interferons and ribavirin is associated with many serious side effects and cannot be used by some patients, such as pregnant women and men whose partners are pregnant.

If you need information on treatment options, talk to your doctor. Your doctor can tell you more about available treatment options and whether treatment is appropriate for you. If your doctor decides treatment is necessary, he or she may choose to treat you or refer you to a specialist, such as a gastroenterologist or hepatologist, for treatment.

You can turn to The Be In Charge® Program for a vast amount of additional information and support as you manage your hepatitis C treatment. Sign up now for this tremendous support tool.

        
  1. Management of chronic hepatitis C. Available at: http://ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/hepctp.htm
    Accessed October 23, 2007.